Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Roy Chun Lee was invited to take part in the sixth “Taiwan Trilateral Forum” held in Brussels by the German Marshall Fund(GMF) on 28 and 29 November 2023.
On 28 November, Deputy Minister Lee delivered a keynote speech, during which he stressed that the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is an indispensable element for the prosperity and security of the whole world. He also expressed gratitude to the EU and European countries for having increasingly expressed their support for the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. To this end, the Deputy Minister noted that the European Council conclusions in June 2023 illustrated the EU’s concern over growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and emphasized EU’s position of opposing any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. Deputy Minister Lee also encouraged the development of new systematic mechanisms or agreements between both sides to strengthen the inclusion of Taiwan's voice in EU decision-making process.
For decades, China has exerted economic coercion, cyber-attacks, cognitive warfare, and disinformation campaigns against Taiwan. Given that Taiwan is holding presidential and general elections next year, China has already employed various means to interfere with the elections. Deputy Minister Lee expressed his hopes that democratic partners, including Taiwan, the United States, and Europe will enhance cooperation to deter China and other authoritarian countries from challenging the status quo and to jointly safeguard democratic systems.
The German Marshall Fund of the United States is a non-partisan policy organization, which strives to champion democratic values and the transatlantic alliance by strengthening civil society, forging bold and innovative policy ideas, and developing a new generation of leaders to tackle global challenges.
GMF has held the annual "Taiwan Trilateral Forum" since 2018 to promote and strengthen trilateral exchanges. This forum was hosted by Bonnie Glaser, Managing Director of GMF Indo-Pacific Program. It invited representatives from industry, government, and academia in Taiwan, the United States, and Europe to discuss topics of mutual concern.
